Trampoline games for kids

Written by laura wilson| 13/05/2017

Trampolines are excellent sources of exercise and enjoyment. (boy jumping image by sonya etchison from Fotolia.com)

Trampolines can be a great source of exercise and enjoyment for children. When children get bored of simply bouncing, introduce some fun games to play with others to keep getting use out of the trampoline. According to "Keeping Children Safe on the Playground" by Healthy Children, more than 100,000 people are injured each year on trampolines, so parents must monitor and supervise all trampoline activity.

Ring Around the Rosy

Two or three children can play "Ring Around the Rosy" on the trampoline. (playing children image by Marzanna Syncerz from Fotolia.com)

This game is a favourite of young children even when they are playing it on the ground. As children chant, "Ring around the rosy, pocket full of posies, ashes, ashes, we all fall down!" they will find great fun in falling down on the trampoline.

Follow the Leader

To follow the leader, all the players must jump the way the leader is jumping. (sky high image by Andy Sears from Fotolia.com)

In Follow the Leader, the person who is the leader chooses different activities to do on the trampoline, such as bouncing on one foot, jumping jacks or somersaults. Everyone else must do what the leader is doing. A similar game with more challenge for older children is Simon Says, in which the leader states, "Simon says do jumping jacks," or some other activity. If the leader doesn't say "Simon Says" and the children follow through on the action, then they are out.

P.I.G.

Players who can't copy a stunt will earn a letter in P.I.G. (kids jumping image by sonya etchison from Fotolia.com)

Many people are familiar with this game when taking shots at a basketball hoop, and the concept is similar on the trampoline. The first person will do some type of stunt on the trampoline. The next person has to perform the same stunt or he gets a letter. Continue on until everyone gets a turn to try, and then the second person gets to do a stunt. When a person fails at three stunts---getting the letters P, I and G---she is out.

Snake

A skipping rope makes this trampoline game challenging. (Skipping rope image by Jacob Randell from Fotolia.com)

The game snake uses a skipping rope, according to "Trampoline Games" by Families. One person moves the skipping rope back and forth across the trampoline while the other participants try to jump over it without touching it. If players touch the rope, then they get to be the snake.

Dodgeball

Use balled-up socks for a soft game of dodgeball. (sock 12 image by chrisharvey from Fotolia.com)

In trampoline dodgeball, use soft foam balls or balled up socks. Some people will be jumpers on the trampoline, and the people with the balls stand on the ground and try to hit the jumpers with the balls. The last person hit with a ball wins.

Crack the Egg

To win this game, a player must stay in the shape of an egg. (Egg image by Andrei Leczfalvi from Fotolia.com)

Crack the Egg has become a popular game for trampoline enthusiasts. One person imitates an egg by sitting down and wrapping his arms around his legs. The other players jump around, trying to crack the egg, which happens when the person lets go of his legs.

Ants in the Bed

Children pretend small balls are ants to either save or destroy. (ants on the flower image by Aleksander Kostuch from Fotolia.com)

This is a perfect game for two children to play and has several variations. According to Small Memories, in "Trampoline Games" one child is sleeping when the ants in her ant farm get loose and end up in the other child's bed. The first child tries to save her ants while the other one is trying to bounce them off the trampoline.

Use small foam balls or balled socks as the ants, and an adult can throw them on the trampoline to signal the beginning of the game. In the end, find out who won by counting how many ants were saved and how many were bounced off the trampoline.

For math practice, parents can quiz children on subtraction. For instance, if the first child started with 20 ants, and the second one bounced off 12, how many ants were saved?

Another variation is to have one ball of a different colour, and assign that ball to be the queen bee. If that bee is bounced off, the person trying to bounce the balls off the trampoline automatically wins the round.